Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

Ian Forbes, manager of Walker Cup champions Jamaica College (JC), has described the just-concluded season as a good one for the Old Hope Road-based school.

"I think it was a reasonably good season for us because we won the Walker Cup trophy, and it is the first time in our history that we were winning this competition," said Forbes. "However, we are still the winningest Manning Cup team, despite us not winning it this year," he said.

JC carved out their first first lien on the Walker Cup with a 5-4 penalty-kicks win over St George's College at the Constant Spring Sports Complex in October. The match had ended 1-1 at full and extra time.

JC were forced to play five matches in 13 days and this, according to Forbes, undermined their chances of winning the Manning Cup.

Hectic schedule

"It certainly did affect our chances of the winning the Manning Cup, in terms of the recovery period for our youngsters," Forbes said. "I think it took a toll on them mentally and physically, because after the hectic schedule in the Walker Cup, then a few days later we were in the second round of the Manning Cup, and this impacted heavily on them."

Forbes added they are expected to retain a number of their star players for next season's competition along with a number of the under-16 players.

"We will be rebuilding for next season because we have a reasonably good nucleus of players to build around, and we are hoping to approach next season positively and, hopefully, we will do well," Forbes said.

"Ashani (Walker), along with some of our other top players, will be returning next season and, hopefully, their presence will help us to go a far way in the competition," Forbes reasoned.

Forbes added that the one-year ban imposed by ISSA on their coach, Alfred Henry, would not impact heavily on his team's chances in the competition next season.

"We have a very organised system and structure and so we are hoping that this will not affect our performance moving forward in either competition next season," Forbes said. Henry was banned following comments he made at the end of his team's second-round match against Wolmer's, which they lost 3-2. The result ended their chances of advancing to the semi-finals of the competition.

Henry stated at the end of the game in question that the administrators (ISSA) cannot administrate and that the referees cannot referee, following the hectic schedule his team had to go through.